Ikea bids farewell to Mother as agency shuns review

Ikea is set to take a fresh creative approach to its UK advertising and marketing following a decision by incumbent agency Mother not to repitch for the business, which is currently under review.

The Swedish flatpack furniture specialist has worked with Mother for 16 years, with Mother partner Katie Mackay-Sinclair, tellingly quoted as saying: “We truly believe we can’t prove anything in a pitch that we don’t prove every day. Ikea will always be part of Mother’s story and we wish our friends at Ikea all the best for the future.”

It is not known how far the review has progressed but Mother will continue to work on the account until August 2026, at the end of Ikea’s financial year.

McCann was appointed as Ikea’s first global ad agency in 2023, with the account run out of its Spanish office. At the time, the retailer said it wanted to “streamline” its agency operations. It is not known whether McCann is involved in the UK review.

Ikea head of marketing Sarah Green said: “Mother’s decision not to participate in the creative review brings to an end 16 years of partnership that has truly embodied ‘the wonderful everyday’. We’re deeply grateful for their creativity, collaboration, and the contribution they’ve made to our business.”

Mother’s most recent campaign promoted the opening of Ikea Brighton, which paid playful tribute to the humble seagull – loved and despised in equal measure by residents of the city.

Earlier this year, Ikea overhauled its loyalty scheme by bringing in a points-based system for the first time, while enhancing its mobile app with the aim of providing a more seamless, personalised, and inspiring shopping journey.

Ikea Family was first launched in 1984 in Sweden and was rolled out to international markets by Quant Presky Maves in 2007. It was one of the first to shun points under the premise of “pointless loyalty”; instead members received instore offers and discounts on a range of purchases, as well as free hot drinks.

At the last count, the scheme had over 150 million members across 30 countries, making it one of the world’s largest customer loyalty programmes.